this is bbc news. the headlines at 7pm: when they heard... double axle surprise, your highness. the actress carrie fisher — best known for playing the rebel alliance leader princess leia in the star wars films — has died aged 60. carrie fisher's co—star mark hamill — who played luke skywalker — tweets to say he's devastated. he adds there are "no words". ministers reject criticism that plans to require voters to show id at polling stations are a "sledgehammer to crack a nut". the author of watership down, richard adams, has died peacefully aged 96, his family has announced. japan's leader is at pearl harbour ahead of an historic visit, when he and president obama will pay their respects together.

i will be looking back at a year that will shape the economy for years to come. this year saw the uk leads the european union. and against all the odds, donald trump wins the race for the white house. he has made some bold announcements, but as a tall clock and no action? that is all to come with the business review of 2016. good evening and welcome to bbc news. the star wars actress carrie fisher has died. she became ill several days ago on a flight from london to los angeles. she was 60. lizo mzimba looks back at her life. what the hell are you doing?

somebody has to save our skins. clever and confident, occasionally caustic. i take orders from just one person, me. it's a wonder you're still alive. will somebody get this walking carpet out of many i way? carrie fisher's leia wasn't your typical princess waiting to be rescued. her most famous character was outspoken on screen. i should have expected to find you holding vader's leash. i recognised your foul stench when i was brought on board. carrie fisher was often equally plain speaking in real life, sharing details of her volatile relationship with her mother, screen legend debbie reynolds, and her own struggles with addiction. people used to ask me, right after i got sober initially, so are you happy now? i would say among other things, happy is one of the many things, the many emotions i'll go through in a day. you're notjust skipping around, spouting hallmark cards, but you know, yeah, i'm in a much better place.

somehow you lay the entire blame for your drug taking on me. i do not, mother. the film postcards from the edge was based on carrie fisher's semi—autobiographical novel of the same name. the central character — an actress and recovering drug addict — played by meryl streep. fisher was a teenager when she made her cinema debut, opposite warren beattie in a romantic comedy shampoo, before star wards made her one of the most famous faces. throughout her career, she continued working behind the camera, often as a script doctor, as well as in smaller roles in front of the camera, in movies like when harry met sally. restaurants were to people in the ‘80s what theatre was to people in the ‘60s. in 2015 she reprised her role as princess leia in star wars: the force awakens. that's how millions will remember her —

a groundbreaking, modern heroine from a galaxy far, far away. and spoke to a reporter who said that carrie fisher would be remembered for her roles beyond star wars. there are the dedicated star wa rs wars. there are the dedicated star wars fa ns wars. there are the dedicated star wars fans worldwide that have been devoted to her for four decades and they will show no signs of abating with this news today. they will want to see the original trilogy. they will want to make their feelings

felt. then there are other carrie fisher fans who love her because she is one of the few remaining ties to old hollywood, also with her pa rents, old hollywood, also with her parents, and for some people the role of princess leila was not the most defining role about her. per8—mac what would she have been proud of? everyone thinks about star wars, but as you hinted at their she was involved in so much more. the sheer power of what she took as a job in the mid—70s. george lucas turned up with this project and it just ran and ran. we have seen her in otherfilms, like

just ran and ran. we have seen her in other films, like when harry met sally. she also wrote a book, memoirs that became postcards from the edge, that told the story of her relationship with her mother. she was able to observe the hollywood environment she grew up in. whoopie goldberg has just treated that carrie fisher has passed and that she was funnier and smarter than anyone had the right to be. so many words about her which and how humour. do you think it was her

abilities to talk about her problems that endeared her to herfans? abilities to talk about her problems that endeared her to her fans? from the moment she was born she was under the hollywood spotlight. her pa rents were under the hollywood spotlight. her parents were the golden couple at the time and she was the golden offspring. it was the love triangle offspring. it was the love triangle of its age when her parents had an affair. she not only whether that storm. she had her own problems, she was bipolar as she went down a rocky road of drugs and alcohol addiction. what she did that was so unique was step back from this cliched story of

hollywood. she just wanted a bit of normality. that is what so many people will remember. that was the entertainment editor from the huffington post. our correspondent, peter bowes, is in la for us. how is she being remembered? people are remembering her very fondly indeed. they are saying that there are no words and they are devastated. william shatner said he was deeply saddened. those are the well—known names but thousands of other people are taking to social media to share their thoughts. this

is something, the passing of a famous person, that is hitting home with so many people. she had fans from multiple generations, she had a new fan base and after appearing in the latest star wars films, the last of which was released last year. then there were those who could remember the original trilogy. she is remembered as someone who was multitalented, not just is remembered as someone who was multitalented, notjust a great actress but also a great writer. she was also a screenwriter, sometimes taking or berating other people's scripts. she was very good at that. she was very passionate about talking about her own problems and the demons she battled, but trying to help other people with mental health issues. she was open about her problems with drink and drugs

and depression. people respect her for that. take us through her career. there was more to her than star wars. seth mcfarlane from family guy has treated and said that she was smart, funny, talented and fun to be around. family guy will miss her. she was the voice of angela. she was multitalented and she could do these rules extremely well. she had a beautiful boys. you perhaps did not realise it was higher ina perhaps did not realise it was higher in a movie. we have been hearing discussion about the fact she was steeped in showbiz, debbie

reynolds was her mother and one of her first roles was alongside hu rtles her first roles was alongside hurtles up they had a difficult relationship at times although i know they had prepared that in recent yea rs. know they had prepared that in recent years. i spoke to debbie reynolds a couple of years ago and she was speaking very fondly about carrie fisher and they lived together in a complex. they were close these days as a family. with me now is hollywood journalist jeanie wolf. thank you forjoining us. reaction to this terribly sad news. ever since he heard the report of carrie fisher having a heart attack on an aeroplane was some dread that we would get this news but no one wa nted would get this news but no one wanted to say it out loud and face the fact that she would die. this is

one of the first times i have thought about someone i deeply cared for and wanted to say something hilariously funny about because that is what she would have wanted. i have been to her home and i knew her motherfor many have been to her home and i knew her mother for many years. she said that she would always be known as princess leila, but her mother was similarly typecast. she did not want to be an actress and that is how she became one. one of her great lessons in life was writing a movie with her mother, elizabeth taylor, shirley maclaine and how they faced all the things they had been through. they still won't —— she said that she

learned from those woman and her mother to go for it. sometimes you make it and sometimes you don't. she told me that she had realised that you cannot have it all all at once. i'm grateful that my entire family is fun and funny. if i had gone through all the things i had been through all the things i had been through with mental health and having a wonderful daughter and i had not been funny then i would have missed it all. i am grateful that i had a family. i did not have a normal upbringing, my life was a century from the beginning, but my mother took care of me. she was so proud that her daughter was starting to act. over the weekend, i saw the new star wars and i don't want to

tell you what happens but let me just say that carrie fisher as princess leila appears in the movie and since people have heard what has happened to her you can feel the emotion in the theatre. young people, old people, then i started to tearup. people, old people, then i started to tear up. she was a great lady. you knew her privately, what wish you most proud of in her life?|j think she was most proud of the fact that she got herself together and she had been through... she talked about being in a mental hospital as the lowest pa rt about being in a mental hospital as the lowest part of her life and that she helped other people. she was also proud that her mother divorced from eddie fisher. carried's

daughter's father is one of the most important agents and when they were not together, carrie fisher was determined that her daughter would have a family and they remained friends and spend holidays together. she wanted to be a mummy to her daughter and she was proud of that. she remained angry at her father, eddie fisher, mostly because she wrote fu n ny eddie fisher, mostly because she wrote funny things and he wrote cruel things. she would say she had a rocky but eventful life. she loved the drama and the attention. she went to the star wars premiere with her dog. she understood herself very well. she created some wonderful

moments. thank you for sharing your thoughts and your memories, your personal memories, of carrie fisher. if you justjoined us on bbc news, carrie fisher has died at the age of 60. she suffered a heart attack the other side of the christmas break and we got news today that she died. the tributes have been flooding in from those who knew and worked with carrie fisher. her co—star, luke skywalker, treated a picture of him with. the star trek actor, william shatner, said he was deeply saddened to learn of the death of carrie

fisher. light has been extinguished. whoopee goldberg has said that she was funnier and smarter than anyone had the right to be. stephen fry said she was the brightest, funniest, bravest, kindness, cleverest a nd funniest, bravest, kindness, cleverest and sweetest person i ever knew. and some of her other co—stars also remember her. anthony daniels said that he thought that he got what he wanted under the christmas tree. despite of thoughts and prayers i am very sad. backed who played lando treated, i am very sad at the news of carrie fisher's passing. she was a dear friend who at the news of carrie fisher's passing. she was a dearfriend who i respected and admired. he went on to

treat, the force is dark today. seth mcfarlane of family guy said that carrie fisher was planted and surprising and always fun to be around. family guy will miss her immensely. she betrayed princess leila with parodies and she was the voice of angela. many tributes are coming in now. stay with us on bbc news because we will be finding out how this story, and many others, are covered in tomorrow's front pages later this evening. our guests joining me tonight are the parliamentaryjournalist tony grew and the political journalist, sean dilley. the government has defended

its proposal to make some voters in england show id before casting their ballot, saying it will preserve the integrity of the electoral system against fraud. trials will be conducted using a range of methods during the 2018 local elections. but critics believe the pilot schemes could deter some people from voting. here's our political correspondent, carole walker. these were the scenes when lutfur rahman was elected mayor of tower hamlets in east london two years ago. the people of this borough, i have said, willjudge me on my record. but he was accused of corruption and illegal practices and thrown out of office amid claims of voter fraud and intimidation. now the government is to try out new plans requiring voters to present photo id or proof of address in some local elections in england in 2018. when it comes to ensuring people from vulnerable backgrounds, vulnerable communities,

are given the right to vote, we are determined everyone should have their say and one of the reasons we are bringing this measure in is to make sure nobody faces undue influence or intimidation and that that person has the right to cast their ballot in an election to the person they are choosing. it follows a review of election rules by the former cabinet minister sir eric pickles. his report said authorities were turning a blind eye to corruption and the worrying and covert spread of electoral fraud. he accused some authorities of a state of denial, the government has accepted many of the report's recommendations and says it wants to protect anyone who is at risk of being tricked or bullied out of their democratic rights. though the case

here in tower hamlets captured the headlines, there were fewer than 700 allegations of electoral fraud in 2015 — a year in which more than 51 million votes were cast. and just a handful of people were actually convicted. critics say the government's response is disproportionate and could deter some people from voting. some labour mps believe the government has a hidden agenda. it is a generalisation, but if you accept that more people who do not have a passport, or a driving licence, are likely to be from poorer communities and that people from those communities are more likely to vote labour, then absolutely i think it does disproportionately affect potential labour voters. the evidence shows most elections in the uk are free and fair, but ministers believe they do need to do more to do more to ensure people have confidence in the system and if the trials are successful, all voters may have to show proof of id before they can vote in the next general election.

carole walker, bbc news. with me is darren hughes, deputy chief executive of the electoral reform society. thank you forjoining us. what do you make of these plans? everyone wa nts you make of these plans? everyone wants the voting system to have integrity. people cash their ballots and they get counted. they go to the appropriate candidates so that the person whose declared winner is legitimate. but we do not have many exa m ples of legitimate. but we do not have many examples of that not happening. we are not sitting here 18 months after the last general election saying there are dozens where there should bea there are dozens where there should be a question over it because of fraud. is this a sledgehammer to crack a nut? the problem might be

more exaggerated. what would you do then? if there is fraud, it needs to be addressed. you cannot ignore it. people have been turning a blind eye because of political correctness, say some. the government have some good ideas about tools to help them ta ke forward good ideas about tools to help them take forward the wall and enforce it more strongly. there are examples where it is working well. in london there were a lot of allegations over many years and once the evidence was found that was happening... tower hamlets? yes. those people were held to account. was it fraud? i think it was not fraud, it was coercion and

there were other allegations. talking about the integrity of the voting process, and person nations, aspects of how the contract was rewarded. it is all part of the parcel of things not being conducted with integrity. we are mainly worried is not about fraud but we need to know what is happening because of synergy put barriers in place honours people will not be able to vote. people who may be teachers or in the armed forces and forgets their id and if they missed out the chance of them going back might be slender. we have to be certain that the fraud is so widespread that it is worth stopping honest people from voting because

they forget their id that day. there are examples on your twitter page of the system not working in the us and it isa the system not working in the us and it is a barrier to voting. how does the production of id work in northern ireland ? the production of id work in northern ireland? there are always different reasons why certain countries go a certain way and electoral arrangements have always been different in northern ireland to the mainland. in the us it is pretty well accepted that these are a high political measures. they must register to forms of id. that is in northern ireland. —— that in america. in america it has been done to reduce certain types of people voting in the election. in the uk we

wa nt voting in the election. in the uk we want a system of integrity. until that has been established and the evidence comes forward we worry that the high price of this so—called safety measures will be outweighed by the number of decent, honest footers who will not be able to vote on election day. thank you very much. the author of watership down, richard adams has died, aged 96. his tale about a family of rabbits was a bestseller and also became a celebrated film. a statement from his family said he died on christmas eve. nick higham looks back at his life. they seem sad, like trees in november. it became a worldwide bestseller and animated film and made its creator a millionaire. not bad for a story about intrepid rabbits originally devised by a civil servant to entertain his children in the car. watership down was a fantasy, but one as compelling as the classical myths its author

loved, and its setting was authentic. richard adams had grown up near the real watership down in hampshire. in one respect, the book is anything but fantastic because the topography and landscape in which it takes place is completely real. this is the country where i was born and where i grew up, and i know it all like the back of my hand, and everything in the story, down to very often individual gates and trees, is perfectly real. the novel's phenomenal success sent its author into tax exile in the isle of man. he wrote more books. none quite matched the success of watership down, but one grew out of his passion for animal welfare and hatred of vivisection. it was called the plague dogs. it featured animals which escaped from a research laboratory. richard adams became president of the rspca but resigned over a clash over how radical the organisation should be. something has gone

wrong with the planet. one species has become so mostly dominant that it is threatening to crowd the others off the face of the earth. it is villainously exploiting and ill—treating other species and many it has destroyed altogether off the face of the earth simply for its own greed. as the years grew by, richard adams became increasingly eccentric but not before he had created a modern myth with enduring appeal. breaking news from the sporting world. the premier league swansea city team have sacked their manager. swa nsea city team have sacked their manager. swansea city have sacked their

manager bob bradley. more of that to come. now the weather. it is cold out there. there is a problem with fog. check out your radio station locally for the updates. a hard frost is developing across england and wales. the fog is starting to form in the early hours. temperatures in the suburbs and rural areas below freezing. milder across the west of scotland that they are there will be occasional rain. there is fog further south and east across england and wales. some sunshine towards the western coast. brightness in northern ireland and scotland. it will be cold where

there is fog. all the latest and weather warnings can found online. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines. tributes begin to pour in for carrie fisher — who played the rebel alliance leader princess leia in the star wars films — who has died aged 60. voters in some parts of england are to be asked to provide proof of id before casting their ballots, as part of efforts to curb electoral fraud. but critics have called the move a ‘sledgehammer to crack a nut‘. the daughter of author richard adams — who wrote watership down — says he has died peacefully at his home. now on bbc news. business live looks back at the big stories this year,